The gear and consumables you can make by crafting are quite useful in LOTRO, even at level 65. But is it worth the trouble to master a craft? Which crafts are best for items you will use at level 65, and which ones make the best items to sell to other players?

Is It Worth It?

For players who enjoy crafting or mastered a craft while leveling, the answer is "yes". Depending on your craft, you'll be able to make consumables (food, scrolls, potions, hope tokens, traps, oils, shield spikes, etc.), gear or even legendary items.

For players who reach max level without crafting, the decision is tougher. You're unlikely to be able to craft everything you need for yourself anyway, and it may be cheaper to simply buy what you need rather than learning a craft. But there's a catch.

The Gold Relic Gotcha

The top-tier "gold" relics for your level 65 legendary items are only available via crafting. These are Bind On Acquire, meaning you'll need to make your own if you want them. To make them, you'll need to reach Supreme rank and Kindred reputation with one of the crafting guilds.

Since the same gold relics are available to all of the production crafts, we recommend Cooking. Cooking is by far the fastest and cheapest craft to master since most of the materials come from farming. If you can't stand the tedium of farming, hire a low-level player to grow your grains and veggies for you.

Be sure to join the Cooks Guild (in Michel Delving near the superior oven) and stockpile the components for guild reputation "feasts" as you level. You can raise Cook from novice to Supreme Master in an afternoon, but the turnins to achieve Kindred status with the Cooks Guild will have to be made over a couple of weeks due to cooldowns on the reputation item recipes. As an added benefit, having a Supreme Master cook can keep you supplied with the best foods in the game.

Crafted Gold Relics	Stats
Sealed Symbol of Battle	+390 Melee Critical Rating, +390 Melee Offence Rating
Sealed Symbol of Accuracy	+390 Ranged Critical Rating, +390 Ranged Offence Rating
Sealed Symbol of Tactics	+390 Tactical Critical Rating, +390 Tactical Offence Rating
Sealed Symbol of Vigour	+390 Outgoing Healing Rating, +390 Tactical Critical Rating

Crafting for Consumables

In addition to Cook, Scholar and Jeweler are popular choices for their ability to produce consumables used in instances and raiding. Crafting can ensure a good supply of affordable consumables, with some left over to sell to other players. Some Supreme tier recipes require Kindred standing with your crafting guild or reputation with a particular faction, like Galadhrim, to obtain.

	Cook	Farmer	Jeweler	Metalsmith	Scholar	Weaponsmith
All Classes
Dye					x
Food and Drink	x
Hope Tokens			x
Potions					x
Repair Anvils				x		x
Scrolls of Warding/Battle					x
Class Specific
Dust/Caltrops/Marbles (Burglar)						x
Enamels/Inlays (RK)					x
Lute Strings (Minstrel)	x
Oils (Hunter, Warden)					x
Pet Food (Lore-master)	x
"Rezz Weed" (Lore-master)		x
Shield Spikes (Guardian, Warden)						x
Traps (Hunter)						x